Candle wick

ABSTRACT

A non-metal candle wick made from coffee filters which produce an increased flame size and less non-combustible residue. The non-metal candle wick is manufactured by a method wherein coffee filters are placed in an alcohol bath, dried, cut and twisted into the desired shape, placed in a molten wax bath, and then removed for drying.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to candle wicks. More particularly,the present invention relates to candle wicks manufactured from coffeefilters that have been processed through an alcohol extraction method.The candle wicks manufactured from the coffee filters treated in thealcohol bath produce a larger flame and less non-combustible materials.

[0005] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art

[0006] Candle wicks are made from absorbent material adapted for thetransfer of a liquid by capillary action. Traditional candle wicks havebeen manufactured from cotton materials embedded with metals such aslead or zinc. The metal components embedded in the wick act to provide astiffness effect for the wick. However the presence of these materialsincreases the levels of non-combustible substances in the candle andresults in a smaller flame size. These charred materials can accumulatenear the wick resulting in unsightly residue on or near the candle. Onthe other hand, non-metal core wicks may have a tendency to wilt, bend,or submerge in the melted wax portion. Information relevant to attemptsto address this problem can be found in the following U.S. patents.These references mentioned in this background section are not admittedto be prior art with respect to the present invention.

[0007] An example of a non-metal core wick for use in a gel candle isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,331 to Schwarz et al. Schwarz et al.discloses a method for manufacturing gel candles having a non-metal corewick that stands upright an is not bent, wilted, or submerged in the gelcandle body. The method includes inserting a wick-clip having anon-metal core wick into the composition in the container before thecomposition in the container begins to transform into a gel.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,196 to Rockwell et al. discloses afray-resistant wick made-up of an elongated fiber core with a websurrounding the core, and a jacket surrounding the web. The core orjacket may comprise a fiber glass yarn, and the web a thermoplasticresin such as such as polypropylene. The method of making the frayresistant wick comprises forming an elongated core of the fiber materialand surrounding the core with the web, and then surrounding the web withthe jacket.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,005 to Materna describes a wick holder andwick that is positioned at the bottom of a container. A sleeve/shroud isthen positioned in the cavity to protect them during molding. Molten waxis poured into the cavity outside the sleeve, and the wick is centeredusing the sleeve after the wax has been added. While the wax is onlypartially hardened the sleeve is then removed so that the remainingmolten wax then surrounds the wick.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,187 to Yamaguchi describes a burning wick forhydrocarbons and the like manufactured by continuously forming two wickbodies by two juxtaposed raschel knitting machines, and then fasteningthe two bodies together transversely along those spaced lines by wrapyarns or other linking yarns.

[0011] Each of these references suffers from the disadvantage of notpre-treating the wicks with an alcohol bath. The alcohol bath functionsto remove materials from the wick so that the non-metal wick produces alarger flame and less non-combustible residue. The limitations of theprior art are overcome by the present invention as described below.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention is directed to a candle wick satisfying theneeds identified above. The invention is a candle wick made from coffeefilter paper soaked in an alcohol bath, thus producing a wick having anincreased flame size and less non-combustible residue. The inventionalso is directed a method wherein coffee filters are placed in analcohol bath, dried, cut and twisted into the desired shape, placed in amolten wax bath, and then removed for drying.

[0013] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide foran improved non-metal candle wick.

[0014] It is further object of the present invention to provide a methodof producing non-metal candle wicks.

[0015] It is a further object of the present invention to provide amethod of producing non-metal candle wicks with an increased flame size.

[0016] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a methodof producing non-metal candle wicks with less non-combustible residue.

[0017] It is a still further object of the present invention to providea method of producing non-metal candle wicks with an increased flamesize and less non-combustible residue.

[0018] These and other features, objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appendedclaims:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1 is an oblique view of one embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the candle wick is incorporated in a candle.

[0020]FIG. 2 is an enlarged oblique view of a twisted wick producedaccording to the method of the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the preferred and alternativeembodiments of the present invention may be described. The presentinvention is a non-metal candle wick produced from cotton coffee filtersand a method of manufacturing candle wicks from coffee filters whichhave been processed through an alcohol extraction method. The candlewicks manufactured from the coffee filters treated in an alcohol bathproduce a larger flame and less non-combustible residue.

[0023]FIG. 1 is an oblique view of one embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the candle wick 10 is incorporated in a candle 20. Anenlarged view of a twisted candle wick 10 with twisted coils 30 is shownin FIG. 2.

[0024] The method of the present invention will be described hereinafterwith reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 2.

[0025] According to the method of the present invention, a coffee filterprovides the starting material for the production of the non-metalcandle wick 10. A suitable coffee filter for the practice of the presentinvention has been found to be “Dollar General Brand”. The filter isdesirably manufactured from cotton fiber. The coffee filter is placed ina stainless steel container approximately four inches in depth.According to the first step 40, the coffee filter is then bathed in asolution of clear 50% isopropyl alcohol for approximately five minutes.In following step 50, the filter is then removed from the alcoholsolution and placed on a solid flat surface for drying.

[0026] After the cotton coffee filter is completely dry, the filter iscut apart in next step 60 into useable sections measuring ½ to ¾ inchesin width. The size of the section is dependent on the size of the candlewick 10 desired.

[0027] In further step 70, the cotton coffee filter sections are twistedin an upward motion forming a long strand of coils 30 until the candlewick has tightened to a maximum degree.

[0028] The twisted coffee filter sections are subsequently soaked inmolten wax for approximately one minute in step 80. The coffee filtersections are removed from the wax for complete drying in final step 90.

[0029] The wicks 10 made by the method described above may then be usedin the manufacture of candles 20 using techniques well known in the art.

[0030] While the preferred embodiment of the invention is describedabove, other alternatives are intended to be within the scope of theinvention. For example, the container could be made of glass or plastic.Also, additional fragrance or insect repellant could be incorporatedinto the molten wax.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-metal candle wick, comprising coffee filterpaper.
 2. The non-metal candle wick of claim 1, wherein said coffeefilter paper comprises treated coffee filter paper that has been bathedin a 50% isopropyl alcohol solution.
 3. The non-metal candle wick ofclaim 2, wherein said treated coffee filter paper has been bathed insaid 50% isopropyl alcohol solution for a period of time between 1 and 5minutes.
 4. The non-metal candle wick of claim 3, wherein said treatedcoffee filter paper has a width of between ½ inch and ¾ inch.
 5. Thenon-metal candle wick of claim 4, wherein said treated coffee filterpaper is twisted to form a long coiled strand, said strand furthercomprising wax impregnated into said strand.
 6. A method formanufacturing a non-metal candle wick, comprising the steps of: a.providing a coffee filter paper; b. bathing said coffee filter paper ina bath of 50% isopropyl alcohol to produce a treated coffee filterpaper; c. drying said treated coffee filter paper; d. cutting saidtreated coffee filter paper into at least one rectangular section; e.twisting said section into a long coiled strand; f. soaking said strandin molten wax; and g. drying said strand.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the bathing of step (b) is for a period of time between 1 and 5minutes.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the cutting of step (d)produces a rectangular section having a width of between ½ inch and ¾inch.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the soaking of step (f) iscontinued until said strand is impregnated with wax.
 10. A non-metalcandle wick produced by the method of claim
 6. 11. A non-metal candlewick produced by the method of claim
 7. 12. A non-metal candle wickproduced by the method of claim
 8. 13. A non-metal candle wick producedby the method of claim 9.